If Donovan McNabb Isnt An Eagle, He Will Be a Ram

"Donovan McNabb is our starting QB.......I mean I just don’t know how to make it any clearer than that." Those words, spoken by Eagles head coach Andy Reid, should not have come as a shock to any Eagles fan. McNabb and Reid have been together for over ten years. Reid, a questionable hire, and McNabb, a questionable draft pick, proved an entire fan base wrong by becoming the most successful coach/QB combination in Eagles team history. But that is all coming to an end.

"I’m listening out there". These words, spoken by Eagles head coach Andy Reid should have come as a surprise to any Eagles fan. When asked at the owners meetings this past Wednesday Reid finally admitted that he was in fact listening to offers for all three of his QB's, McNabb included. A shocking revelation to Eagles fans that the time has finally come for Kevin Kolb to replace Donovan McNabb as the starting QB of the Philadelphia Eagles.....maybe.

Since Reid's addition to shopping his franchise QB rumors have swirled about a possible destination for McNabb. Three teams appear to be interested in the Pro Bowl QB with one report citing the Raiders as the front runner. The other two teams interested are the Buffalo Bills, and the St. Louis Rams, the latter in my mind making the more logical sense.

I’m going to urge all Eagles fans not to buy into any rumor you hear regarding Donovan headed anywhere but St. Louis. On Wednesday a rumor circulated from a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter stating there was a deal in place that would send the Rams second round pick (number 33) and FS Oshiomogho Atogwe to the Eagles for McNabb. The report said that it could be a matter of hours until he deal was official but could take up to a week to complete. The rumor was just that, a rumor and I myself admit to not only believing the hype but texting everyone I knew that McNabb would shortly be a Ram. While this rumor appears to be false I still think McNabb will ultimately end up a Ram if he is not in midnight green come the first game of the 2010 season.

Since this rumor circulated on Wednesday a similar rumor has circulated that the Raiders would trade CB Nnamdi Asomugha to the Eagles in exchange for QB Donovan McNabb and Pro Bowl CB Asante Samuel. While many are treating this rumor as a serious one I am not one of them.

What many reporters have forgotten is while Donovan McNabb doesn’t have a no trade clause any team that is going to want to trade for him is going to want to lock him up to a long term deal. Because of this McNabb would have to agree to a contract extension before a trade were to be announced. If Donovan doesn’t want to go to a particular team he simply would refuse to talk about an extension, where upon the team that would be trading for McNabb would void the trade and the Eagles would be back at square one.

The Raiders are a mess. They have a crazy owner and a coach who beats his assistants. The team is in disarray and if someone could give me a logical reason on why McNabb....or anyone for that matter would want to sign an extension with them I’m listening. The Bills aren’t nearly as bad as the Raiders but they have a rookie head coach and McNabb has already stated he would not want to go to them. So Bills fans are going to have to go with Brian Brohm as your starter because #5 isn’t headed north.

That leaves one team, the Rams. The Rams make all the sense in the world if you really think about it. The Rams have a lot to offer including a familiar environment. One of McNabb's backups would be long time Eagles backup AJ Feeley. Backup center for the Rams is long time Eagles center Hank Fraley. One of McNabb's WR he would have to work with was former Eagles WR Brandon Gibson, who was involved in the Will Witherspoon trade. A lot of Eagles fans, myself included, really liked Gibson but there was just no room for him in Philly. The Rams head coach is former Eagles LB coach Steve Spagnola who will be going into his second year as the Rams head coach. It would also reunite Donovan with Pat Shurmur.

If you have never heard of Pat Shurmur you’re not alone. Shurmur was the Eagles former QB coach and is now in St. Louis as the Rams offensive coordinator. Shurmur would know exactly how to run an offense with McNabb and the screen pass would most likely be in full effect considering Steve Jackson is no slouch catching the ball out of the backfield.

The writing is on the wall. The Eagles want a pick in the top 42 picks and the Rams have one in the second round that fits that criteria. The Rams are in a weak division that could see them move up from bottom feeder to playoff team if McNabb was under center. While I’m not sure if I want McNabb gone, if he isn’t an Eagle next season he most certainly will be a Ram

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